I hope I don’t jinx it… I’ve waited almost a week before blogging about it just to make sure… I think it’s safe to say…

WE FINALLY GOT BREASTFEEDING TO WORK!

It’s been over four weeks (and Baby Girl is only 5 weeks old) of meeting with the lactation consultant, pumping, finger feeding, crying, weighing, more crying, and a lot more pumping, but all that hard work has paid off!

The final stretch on our road to success started on March 14th, when we went to see the pediatric dentist. It wasn’t the most pleasant of experiences but it paid off in spades!

The 14th was a Thursday. That Friday, we went to the doctor to get a weight. Our starting number was 7lbs 9 oz. That’s when the first test started. Except for a couple ounces given through the finger tube if absolutely necessary, my goal was to breastfeed exclusively all weekend.

We went back to the doctor on Monday for an update. The result? She weight 8lbs 2 oz! If you’re trying to do the math in your head, she gained 9 ounces in 3 days. That’s triple what she was supposed to.

Needless to say, breastfeeding was working! There was one small problem, though. Well, two.

She gained TOO much. Meaning, she was eating so much she was giving herself tummy aches. She had been fussy all weekend (making me freak out that she wasn’t eating enough) due to discomfort.

I was having some pain and bleeding.

So, to address these issues, we decided to shorten the time she fed and consider returning to the dentist to have her tongue assessed. Long story short, I’m limiting her feeding to 10 minutes per side. And I e-mailed the dentist (he’s awesome and answers e-mail super quickly!) and after a quick chat, I decided to hold off taking her back in (and spending the money and putting her through the whole experience all over again) and instead focus on working on the latch.

The result?

We went back to the doctor a week later (Monday, March 25th) and Baby Girl has gained another 11 ounces in 7 days (a much more realistic weight gain) and my pain has decreased significantly!

It’s been such a long journey. I’ve gone through blood, sweat, and tears (literally) to make this work. But, I didn’t give up, and now we’re both reaping the reward. I love breastfeeding my baby!

The worst part of this whole process has been being stuck in the house. Being that I had to feed her with the finger tube and pump every time she ate, I couldn’t leave my home for more than a couple hours (I wasn’t going to bring my pump with me to the store/ friend’s house/ etc.). But now? Now I feel like I can do anything!

So watch out world! Norah and I are coming for you!

It seems like a small thing, but getting to go out to eat with a friend was such a huge win for me! I was able to feed my baby girl with no problems at all.